Digital tool now includes equine infectious anemia certificates

Photo: BlazingDesigns/Adobe Stock

GlobalVetLink (GVL), a provider of digital compliance solutions for veterinary professionals, recently expanded its SmartCert technology—a digital tool developed to improve the creation, management, compliance, and distribution of veterinary health certificates. Their compliance assistant platform will now include equine infectious anemia (EIA) certificates.¹

According to the company, their technology platform aims to “revolutionize” the way veterinary clinics manage animal health compliance documents, improving certificates’ security, authenticity, and efficiency. They also aim to lessen administrative workloads and enhance data integrity.² Additionally the company has a platform for rabies vaccination certificates.¹

"We are thrilled to extend our SmartCert Technology to EIA certificates," Stacey Noe, senior director of Product at GlobalVetLink, said in a news release.¹ "This expansion not only upholds the highest standards of compliance and data security but also reinforces our commitment to providing veterinarians with a secure and efficient platform for managing animal health data."

Features of the company’s tool for EIA certificates include^1,2:

• Tools to detect and prevent fraudulent activities, enabling online verification of certificate authenticity for both users and regulatory agencies.
• Advanced watermarking: Certificates are protected with digital indexing and a visible validation watermark
• Intelligent routing: Compliance documents are automatically directed to the relevant local, state, and federal authorities, reducing the chances of misrouting and lessening the manual workload for veterinary practices.
• Verified access for animal owners, service providers, and regulatory bodies with SOC-2 compliance

Additionally, each certificate is assigned a unique QR code which directs users to a web page with detailed information about the certificate after being scanned. Users can then compare the digital information to the hard copy. Inconsistencies found during this comparison may suggest possible fraud, according to GVL.²

About equine infectious anemia

EIA is a viral disease that only affects horses, ponies, zebras, mules, and donkeys, and can be fatal for these equids. It is transmitted via bites from infected flies like horseflies or deer flies. However, the most common form of transmission in the US is now through human-facilitated methods, including through re-used or unclean needles, syringes, dental instruments, other contaminated equipment, and blood transfusions.³

Clinical symptoms of this infectious disease can vary from mild to severe and typically develop within a few weeks after infection. Nevertheless, it can take 60 days or longer for a horse to show a positive test result for the infection. Once an equid is infected with the disease, they become a carrier for the virus following survival of the infection, with occasional clinical flare-ups.³

Signs of an EIA infection include³:

• Fever
• Decreased appetite
• Severe anemia
• Sudden death
• Jaundice (yellow discoloration of mucous membranes)
• Rapid breathing, rapid heart rate
• Swollen limbs
• Bleeding from the nose or red/purple spots on mucous membranes
• Blood-stained feces

However, horses that are chronically infected may not show any clinical signs. Currently, there is no treatment for EIA. Advice veterinarians may share with equid owners to prevent the spread of EIA, according to the US Department of Agriculture, include³:

• Control biting flies on the property to reduce animals’ exposure
• Never reuse needles, syringes, or IV sets
• Only use licensed and approved blood products
• Ensure blood transfusions are performed only by licensed veterinarians using blood products from donor horses that have tested negative for EIA and other blood-borne infections, like equine piroplasmosis
• Test horses, ponies, mules, and donkeys annually for EIA
• Immediately move horses, ponies, mules, or donkeys that are suspected might have EIA at least 200 yards away from other equids on the property and contact a veterinarian immediately

References

1. GlobalVetLink expands SmartCert Technology to include EIA certificates. News release. GlobalVetLink. August 1, 2024. Accessed August 2, 2024. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/globalvetlink-expands-smartcert-technology-to-include-eia-certificates-302212479.html
2. SmartCert: Elevating the security and efficiency of animal health certificates. GlobalVetLink. Accessed August 2, 2024. https://www.globalvetlink.com/compliance-assistant/smartcert-technology/
3. Equine infectious anemia. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. July 12, 2024. Accessed August 2, 2024. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/equine/infectious-anemia